Blessed Event
Jan 12, 2025 | by The Fellowship
As it was for so many, 2024 was a very blessed but also very challenging year. God gifted me with my first granddaughter, but He also challenged me to raise that granddaughter -- at least for 90 days. That 90 days turned into a year!
Who can ever forget the trauma, no matter how joyous, of bringing a newborn home from the hospital? It is one thing to do it when you are young and energetic -- and a totally different thing to face in middle age when you are alone and employed full-time! Those feedings every few hours, even through the night, a schedule to keep, mounds of laundry and a thousand details to tend to can be overwhelming. But the Lord was with me every step of the way and I called on Him constantly.
At the time of this baby’s birth, her parents were -- and are still -- unable to raise her, so that challenge was placed in my lap. Before too long, the baby’s maternal grandmother stepped up and began taking her for a couple of days at a time, particularly some weekends. This allowed me to recharge. But my precious granddaughter lived with me the majority of her first 12 months. As a result, she has captured my heart and I feel blessed with the opportunity to bond so beautifully with her. I could never have predicted that my 2024 would turn out to be such an amazing year!
Another huge blessing that made it all possible is a job that allows me to work from home. That is the only way I could have taken care of her throughout the year. The biggest challenge began when she became mobile! Since most of my work takes place at the computer, it had to be accomplished during the periods when she was napping or in the evenings when she was down for the night. I am so thankful that she loves her sleep! Not only does she sleep very well, but I also rarely had to get up in the middle of the night after the first couple of months.
What an opportunity the Lord gave for me to nurture and shape her while bestowing unconditional love during her first 12 months. How blessed I was to be there to witness everything as she learned to roll over and crawl, to cut her first set of teeth, and to become aware of life around her and how amazing it is.
As she approached her first birthday, it did not take long to realize that the best place for her to grow up in the long term is with her maternal grandmother. Not only much younger than I am, her other grandmother has a young daughter who absolutely adores her baby niece. My granddaughter will get to enjoy being part of a family with a sibling, someone young to play with in the evenings, the stimulus of daycare, and many other things she did not have with me. There are also many cousins in the area where they live, so she will grow up surrounded by family members to bond with.
This new arrangement will also allow me to be Nana (instead of “mom"), a role that brings me great joy -- and also some time and freedom to call my own. How awesome is our Lord! So often the challenges He allows in our lives can cause feelings of inadequacy and even fear, but He never leaves our side and opens a pathway that brings immeasurable joy and fulfillment. Truly there is no god like our God!
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17